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New Orleans #7
Devious
In #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson’s riveting novel of heart-stopping suspense, New Orleans detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya race to help a grief-stricken woman discover the truth about a convent filled with unholy secrets…
The crime scene at St. Marguerite’s cathedral in New Orleans is shocking, even to seasoned detectives like Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya. A novice nun named Sister Camille has been found dressed in a yellowed bridal gown and viciously garroted, her body covered with an altar cloth.
Valerie Houston is devastated by her sister’s death. For weeks, she’d begged Camille to leave St. Marguerite’s, where she seemed determined to live as some kind of martyr. But Camille had a knack for making bad choices—she joined the convent in part because she’d fallen for Val’s soon-to-be ex-husband, Slade.
Convinced the police aren’t doing enough, Val begins to investigate. But the deeper Val’s inquiries go, the more twisted the case becomes. St. Marguerite’s is far from the tranquil retreat many believe; everyone has their own agenda. Even Camille had a hidden life Val never suspected. But someone knew about Camille’s past—and Val’s, too. Now she has no choice but to catch a devious, depraved killer intent on purging St. Marguerite’s of all its sins—before she becomes the next victim...
“WILL SATISFY SERIES FANS AS WELL AS READERS WHO ENJOY LISA GARDNER AND LINDA FAIRSTEIN.” — Library Journal
“A NAIL-BITING TALE OF DANGEROUS SECRETS AND DEADLY PASSIONS.” — Booklist
The crime scene at St. Marguerite’s cathedral in New Orleans is shocking, even to seasoned detectives like Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya. A novice nun named Sister Camille has been found dressed in a yellowed bridal gown and viciously garroted, her body covered with an altar cloth.
Valerie Houston is devastated by her sister’s death. For weeks, she’d begged Camille to leave St. Marguerite’s, where she seemed determined to live as some kind of martyr. But Camille had a knack for making bad choices—she joined the convent in part because she’d fallen for Val’s soon-to-be ex-husband, Slade.
Convinced the police aren’t doing enough, Val begins to investigate. But the deeper Val’s inquiries go, the more twisted the case becomes. St. Marguerite’s is far from the tranquil retreat many believe; everyone has their own agenda. Even Camille had a hidden life Val never suspected. But someone knew about Camille’s past—and Val’s, too. Now she has no choice but to catch a devious, depraved killer intent on purging St. Marguerite’s of all its sins—before she becomes the next victim...
“WILL SATISFY SERIES FANS AS WELL AS READERS WHO ENJOY LISA GARDNER AND LINDA FAIRSTEIN.” — Library Journal
“A NAIL-BITING TALE OF DANGEROUS SECRETS AND DEADLY PASSIONS.” — Booklist
516 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 1, 2011
1259 people are currently reading
8847 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Jackson
271 books9,601 followersLisa Jackson is the number-one New York Times bestselling author of over ninety-five novels, including the Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya Series, the Pescoli and Alvarez Series, the Savannah series, and numerous stand alone novels. She also is the co-author of One Last Breath, Last Girl Standing, and the Colony Series, written with her sister and bestselling author Nancy Bush, as well as the collaborative novels Sinister and Ominous, written with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan. There are over thirty million copies of her novels in print and her writing has been translated into twenty languages.
Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.
With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.
Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.
Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.
With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.
Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 517 reviews
December 1, 2015
Another chilling and terrifying read by Lisa Jackson.
Devious, the 7th book in her New Orleans Series, features once again, one of my favorite detectives, Reuben Montoya and his partner, Rick Bentz.
The story opens with the grisly and horrifying murder in a chapel, of a novice nun from St. Marguerite’s Convent. When Montoya and Bentz arrive at the crime scene, they discover that the murdered nun, Sister Camille, is not an unknown victim. Montoya had dated her during high school. There’s an added coincidence when Sister Lucia, who discover the body, had been Montoya’s brother’s girlfriend a few years ago. And even the person suspected of the murder, Father Frank O’Toole, had also been a school mate.
Valerie Renard, Camille’s sister is battling with her own problems and trying to deal with her soon to be ex-husband, who makes an unexpected appearance at her place on the night of her sister’s murder.
When more nuns from the convent are killed, Val begins to feel that these murders are connected St Elsinore Orphanage, where she and her sister had lived before being adopted when they were young children. The orphanage has closed and is on the verge of being torn down to make place for a new business.
As Montoya and Bentz search into the history of St Marguerites, they begin to think that the convent and especially the Mother Superior are keeping some very dark and disturbing and even terrifying secrets, which are connected to the orphanage.
The killer is sadistic and won’t stop killing until everyone connected to the orphanage is tortured and killed.
The settings of the convent and the orphanage are depict in such vividness……the convent with dark secrets where nothing seems to be what we think…the dark menace, their occupants and how one never knows the truth about them….
As Montoya and Brentz unravel the clues left behind by the killer, Val makes a decision one night to return to the shut orphanage in the hope of finding the truth about her and her sister’s adoption. Let me tell you that the scene where she’s taken, the basement of the orphanage, gave me the absolute creeps.
I was literally shaking and my heart was pumping like crazy…..the cat and mouse game between Val and the killer at the end was shocking and brutal.
Brilliantly written, a well-crafted and intricate plot, tension filled suspense and mystery, plots and twists that leave you guessing until the very end.
I love this series and hopefully we will get more of Montoya and Bentz soon.
Devious, the 7th book in her New Orleans Series, features once again, one of my favorite detectives, Reuben Montoya and his partner, Rick Bentz.
The story opens with the grisly and horrifying murder in a chapel, of a novice nun from St. Marguerite’s Convent. When Montoya and Bentz arrive at the crime scene, they discover that the murdered nun, Sister Camille, is not an unknown victim. Montoya had dated her during high school. There’s an added coincidence when Sister Lucia, who discover the body, had been Montoya’s brother’s girlfriend a few years ago. And even the person suspected of the murder, Father Frank O’Toole, had also been a school mate.
Valerie Renard, Camille’s sister is battling with her own problems and trying to deal with her soon to be ex-husband, who makes an unexpected appearance at her place on the night of her sister’s murder.
When more nuns from the convent are killed, Val begins to feel that these murders are connected St Elsinore Orphanage, where she and her sister had lived before being adopted when they were young children. The orphanage has closed and is on the verge of being torn down to make place for a new business.
As Montoya and Bentz search into the history of St Marguerites, they begin to think that the convent and especially the Mother Superior are keeping some very dark and disturbing and even terrifying secrets, which are connected to the orphanage.
The killer is sadistic and won’t stop killing until everyone connected to the orphanage is tortured and killed.
The settings of the convent and the orphanage are depict in such vividness……the convent with dark secrets where nothing seems to be what we think…the dark menace, their occupants and how one never knows the truth about them….
As Montoya and Brentz unravel the clues left behind by the killer, Val makes a decision one night to return to the shut orphanage in the hope of finding the truth about her and her sister’s adoption. Let me tell you that the scene where she’s taken, the basement of the orphanage, gave me the absolute creeps.
I was literally shaking and my heart was pumping like crazy…..the cat and mouse game between Val and the killer at the end was shocking and brutal.
Brilliantly written, a well-crafted and intricate plot, tension filled suspense and mystery, plots and twists that leave you guessing until the very end.
I love this series and hopefully we will get more of Montoya and Bentz soon.
May 30, 2017
Devious by Lisa Jackson is a book that tries to be all things to all people. No doubt, trying to attract a wide range of readers Jackson has written a book billed as an 'edge of your seat romantic thriller', but is actually a blend of paranormal/ murder/ romance/50 Shades (in no particular order). Instead of focusing on one aspect of the plot, and having the others as secondary threads, she has given them all an almost equal billing, to the detriment of the storyline.
We have a psychic Nun, able to sense when and where the murders are occurring. There is a murdered pregnant Nun who appears to have enjoyed a very active and varied sex life. And there is Valerie, sister to the murdered nun, ex-cop, partner in a struggling B & B, and in the process of divorcing her incredibly attractive and sexy rancher husband, for whom she still has feelings, and who was also one of the men her sister was trying to seduce. There are dodgy priests and a mystery surrounding Valerie's and Camille's parentage.
Need I go on?
The further I got into the book, the more I found myself skimming large tracts of text, and by the end I didn't care about any of the characters or the outcome. This is the second book in the series that I have read and I enjoyed this one even less than the first. Lisa Jackson will not be receiving a third chance from me. This book will, no doubt, have a lot of fans but I will not be numbered amongst them.
Thank you to Kensington Books, Zebra via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Devious by Lisa Jackson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
We have a psychic Nun, able to sense when and where the murders are occurring. There is a murdered pregnant Nun who appears to have enjoyed a very active and varied sex life. And there is Valerie, sister to the murdered nun, ex-cop, partner in a struggling B & B, and in the process of divorcing her incredibly attractive and sexy rancher husband, for whom she still has feelings, and who was also one of the men her sister was trying to seduce. There are dodgy priests and a mystery surrounding Valerie's and Camille's parentage.
Need I go on?
The further I got into the book, the more I found myself skimming large tracts of text, and by the end I didn't care about any of the characters or the outcome. This is the second book in the series that I have read and I enjoyed this one even less than the first. Lisa Jackson will not be receiving a third chance from me. This book will, no doubt, have a lot of fans but I will not be numbered amongst them.
Thank you to Kensington Books, Zebra via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Devious by Lisa Jackson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
September 10, 2025
This book is part of a series with each book being a stand alone. All the books have a religious theme in it and the investigating cops are the ties for each book. In this one a nun was murdered who happened to be having an affair with a priest. Her sister wants answers.
This novel was a definite step up from the last couple of offerings from this series. I believe in my review from the last book from this series I wrote how I am ready to give up on this series and author. I never do that. This book convinced me to continue with the series. This one harkened back to my first thrillers from this author. There was the heinous crime with the extraordinary circumstances. There was the list of suspects where it could be anyone and it all depends the path the author chooses. Plus add the religious overtones to the atmosphere and you have a recipe for a thriller I am here for. I do think this is not the tightest thriller that I have read. There were some aspects that just seemed too circumstantial. It seemed like every single character had a shared past with everyone. It was a little too implausible and did take me out of the book for a little bit. It was a little too much and sometimes less is more.
This was a pleasant surprise as I was not expecting much because of the previous books in this series. The series started off strong but the quality really dipped. Going into it I really thought that this would be the finale for me. The cover did not help either as I really thought it would delve into the romance genre. It did not go there and renewed my faith in this series. It is not must pick up reading. It is a book that kept me entertained with the thriller. I know I will continue with the series eventually as this did not entice me enough to immediately jump into the next one.
This novel was a definite step up from the last couple of offerings from this series. I believe in my review from the last book from this series I wrote how I am ready to give up on this series and author. I never do that. This book convinced me to continue with the series. This one harkened back to my first thrillers from this author. There was the heinous crime with the extraordinary circumstances. There was the list of suspects where it could be anyone and it all depends the path the author chooses. Plus add the religious overtones to the atmosphere and you have a recipe for a thriller I am here for. I do think this is not the tightest thriller that I have read. There were some aspects that just seemed too circumstantial. It seemed like every single character had a shared past with everyone. It was a little too implausible and did take me out of the book for a little bit. It was a little too much and sometimes less is more.
This was a pleasant surprise as I was not expecting much because of the previous books in this series. The series started off strong but the quality really dipped. Going into it I really thought that this would be the finale for me. The cover did not help either as I really thought it would delve into the romance genre. It did not go there and renewed my faith in this series. It is not must pick up reading. It is a book that kept me entertained with the thriller. I know I will continue with the series eventually as this did not entice me enough to immediately jump into the next one.
April 13, 2011
Aaargh! This was the second Lisa Jackson book I have read, and it will be the last. This felt like a shameless rehash of elements from "Without Mercy". The deceitful sister, the cowboy husband/boyfriend, the heroine's nightmares from something in the deep dark past; how unoriginal can you be! How many times can she paraphrase "sexier than any man has a right to be". And the climax scene where the baddie has to explain to the innocent why they are doing what they do could have been written by a teenager, and that is probably an insult to a teenaged writer. Stilted and unrealistic dialogue. Bleh!
November 6, 2015
Good nuns, bad nuns, dead nuns! Who's killing the nuns and why? And who is that handsome priest that has a problem keeping his vows! Another good read from the Montoya and Bentz series based in New Orleans. Some twists and turns and a parallel story that was picked up from before, just thrown in to make this book extra interesting.
2 thumbs up and 4 solid stars!
2 thumbs up and 4 solid stars!
June 23, 2013
To misquote Dorothy Parker, this book is not to be tossed aside lightly, it should be thrown across the room with full force.
No idea how this author made the NY Times bestselling author list. Her writing style is atrocious and subject matter contrived.
I must admit to lying about finishing it so I could review it. I tossed it across the room at the beginning of chapter 3, it was that bad
No idea how this author made the NY Times bestselling author list. Her writing style is atrocious and subject matter contrived.
I must admit to lying about finishing it so I could review it. I tossed it across the room at the beginning of chapter 3, it was that bad
April 21, 2012
Absolutely the worst book I have read! The writing is terrible - was there even an editor? Ever hear of continuity? What is with the supernatural undertones? What is with the persistent nightmares that turn out to have next to nothing to with the plot? Is there an obsession with eyebrows? Exactly what emotion does 'slamming your eyebrows together' convey? Do you believe readers are so forgetful they need to be reminded of everything that has happened so far in every other chapter? Why is the book written in question form? Gaahh!!!
June 12, 2012
Not as bad as Without Mercy, but still not really worth reading, especially not after books by Lisa Gardner and Karin Slaughter. Cliché expressions, stilted dialogue, loose strings left dangling at the end to get you to buy the next book... No, thanks.
May 31, 2017
Devious is the 7th book in Lisa Jackson's New Orleans Series. It is the first I read and I had no problem following the story. It features Detective Reuben Montoya and his partner, Rick Bentz. It is quite dark and scary with a serial killer on the loose.
The story starts with a bang. There is a terrible murder in a chapel at St. Marguerite's Convent. It is Sister Camille, a novice nun with a rather troublesome past. When Montoya and Bentz arrive at the crime scene, Montoya realized he knew the victim, in fact, they dated in high school. Not only that, but the nun who discovered the body, dated his brother and the suspect in the murder, Father Frank O'Toole was a friend of his growing up. Valerie Renard, Camille’s sister is dealing with her own problems while dealing with her estranged husband who has shown up from Texas and wants to reconcile. Of course, he shows up on the night of the murder and it was an issue between Camille and him that caused the estrangement in the first place. As more nuns become victims in rather gruesome ways, Valerie realized that these deaths may be linked to the orphanage, St Elsinore, where she and Camille lived before getting adopted. Is Mother Superior keeping secrets. What happened at St Elsinore's.
The descriptions in this book are so detailed, I could picture the setting and the crime scenes. The plot had me hooked and I quickly read through this story trying to figure out what would happen next. Was Valerie going to become a victim? The suspense and tension will keep you glued and interested until the last page.
The story starts with a bang. There is a terrible murder in a chapel at St. Marguerite's Convent. It is Sister Camille, a novice nun with a rather troublesome past. When Montoya and Bentz arrive at the crime scene, Montoya realized he knew the victim, in fact, they dated in high school. Not only that, but the nun who discovered the body, dated his brother and the suspect in the murder, Father Frank O'Toole was a friend of his growing up. Valerie Renard, Camille’s sister is dealing with her own problems while dealing with her estranged husband who has shown up from Texas and wants to reconcile. Of course, he shows up on the night of the murder and it was an issue between Camille and him that caused the estrangement in the first place. As more nuns become victims in rather gruesome ways, Valerie realized that these deaths may be linked to the orphanage, St Elsinore, where she and Camille lived before getting adopted. Is Mother Superior keeping secrets. What happened at St Elsinore's.
The descriptions in this book are so detailed, I could picture the setting and the crime scenes. The plot had me hooked and I quickly read through this story trying to figure out what would happen next. Was Valerie going to become a victim? The suspense and tension will keep you glued and interested until the last page.
July 6, 2023
I just finished this book and I enjoyed reading Lisa Jackson again. She never fails to keep the story interesting
April 23, 2024
Spannung von der ersten bis zur letzten Seite. Eine meiner Lieblingsschriftstellerinnen
August 2, 2012
4 months ago
This was a very good read. Complicated, multi-layered murder mystery with a number of interesting elements and plenty of excitement.
When one of the nuns at St. Marguerite's is found garroted on the alter of the cathedral, wearing an old and yellowed bridal gown, the New Orleans police detective who catches the case is stunned to discover he knows her - went to high school with her right there in New Orleans.
It soon comes out that not only was the nun pregnant, she had been having an affair with one of the priests at the same church.
The victim's sister, with whom there was a strained relationship, is also living in New Orleans, and since she's also a former homicide cop - though in Texas not New Orleans - she is determined to investigate the murder on her own to make sure the killer of her sister is brought to justice.
And underlying all this, is the spectre of a another killer of women in New Orleans - one everyone thought, prayed had been killed by the police, his body sucked down by the Bayou for the gators to finish off years ago. The method of the new killings is terrifyingly similar to the old killings. Copycat? Coincidence? or is "Father John" back from the dead and killing once again??
The book has a lot going on. There are a large number of characters and the story is told in rotating chapters from the varying perspectives of all the characters. The story is complex with a lot going on, but is well-constructed and easy to read and follow along. There is a high "creep-factor" as some of the chapters are from the killer's perspective, so you really get a 360 degree view of the story and it is an interesting approach.
One thing I should mention is that it is obvious this book is sort of the continuation of a previous book, and there are a number of references to the previous murders which were investigated by one of the cops investigating the new murders. The ending also leaves the door open for a continuation of the original murders, but the current book can and does stand-alone as its own self-contained story. The references to the previous book might whet your appetite to read it, but they don't impact your ability to read and enjoy this story all on its own.
Definitely a good read, recommended for those liking psychological murder mystery/thriller-type stories.
November 24, 2021
Leider sind nahezu alle Figuren extrem holzschnittartig geraten. Alle (!) Nonnen des betroffenen Klosters sind ausschließlich aus verschmähter Liebe ins Kloster gegangen und alle sind ja so verliebt in den Priester (auf eine billige körperliche Weise, die einem würgen verursacht). Dauernd schwärmt irgendwer von irgendwem über seine tollen Augen, sein unverschämt süßes Lächeln etc. Geistige Interessen hat keine der Figuren. Tolle braune Augen reichen vollkommen aus. *kopfschüttel
April 26, 2022
Lisa Jackson writes books that keep you turning pages. Her story here has several red herrings. Her characters are true to life and very relatable. A who done it that will lead you to her next book with some of these same characters.
September 21, 2023
I hate giving "bad" reviews. And while this isn't bad writing, Ms. Jackson's novel, Devious, her 7th NoLa book, is heavy in the Catholic Church and I think she over-does the 'suspect the people in the church' stuff a little too much in this series. I felt bogged down in all the crossing, habit-wearing and young women novices (I've done research for my own novel and discovered that nuns in America today don't all wear habits; they just dress simply… and there were 'pretty' young novices in several of her other novels). I believe that if she hadn't pushed the religion part of the novel as much as she had, I would have enjoyed it more. I was in NoLa when I started reading it and for a while I was intrigued, but she has done the Catholic Church and priests who might or might not be killers many times in previous books it was a bit repetitious and I lost interest quickly... Or maybe it was just because I was actually in NoLa when I read it so I was more interested in the actual sites she wrote about. I hope she writes something other than Catholic Church based mysteries.
September 24, 2011
Another St. Marguerite's Convent mystery with Montoya and Bentz. The time Val’s sister Camille, a novice in the convent, is found murdered, wearing a bridal gown. Chief suspect is handsome Father O’Toole (oh, Camille was pregnant). Lot’s going on in this book – several interconnected relationships. More nuns are murdered. There appears to be a rogue priest on the loose. Whew! Val is a tad overwrought at times, which gets on my nerves. However, the book kept my interest. The ending made me go, What? But you’ll see why when you read.
June 19, 2018
Das war mal wieder ein richtig guter Pageturner. Ich wollte unbedingt wissen wer hinter allem steckt, die verschiedenen Personen haben die Story sehr bereichert. Wobei ich auch sagen muss dass es manchmal zu viele Charaktere gab und ich dadurch ganz durcheinander war. Ich kann es jedem empfehlen der auf gute Thriller steht.
October 27, 2018
Creepy? ...Definitely!
Violent? ...Yes
Graphic? ...Yes
Expletives?...Yes
Disturbing? ...Yes
Compulsive? ...Yes
Recommended?... Hmm.
If those things don’t bother you then go for it, especially if you like figuring out who-done-it. The first chapter scared me so much that I wasn’t going to read it but hubby´s opinión swayed me. Having been in a convent myself as a novitiate once upon a long time ago, it was difficult for me to get through this at times, as it involves murders of nuns. I had to keep reminding myself that it’s fiction, though it draws you in and you can feel yourself following these nuns down a dark corridor as they un-suspectfully approached their deaths. Shivers down my spine. Heart pounding.
The character development was well crafted. I didn’t realize that this is #7 in a series of 8 novels revolving around two New Orleans detectives, Ruben Montoya and his partner Rick Bentz. They’ve been solving crime together for many years in previous novels, none of which I intend to read but wish I had. I will go on to the latest one however, book #8 Never Die Alone, as there are two unresolved issues left hanging in this one. I liked the characters so much I want to know what happens to them. Just not anytime soon. I need a break for now.
Violent? ...Yes
Graphic? ...Yes
Expletives?...Yes
Disturbing? ...Yes
Compulsive? ...Yes
Recommended?... Hmm.
If those things don’t bother you then go for it, especially if you like figuring out who-done-it. The first chapter scared me so much that I wasn’t going to read it but hubby´s opinión swayed me. Having been in a convent myself as a novitiate once upon a long time ago, it was difficult for me to get through this at times, as it involves murders of nuns. I had to keep reminding myself that it’s fiction, though it draws you in and you can feel yourself following these nuns down a dark corridor as they un-suspectfully approached their deaths. Shivers down my spine. Heart pounding.
The character development was well crafted. I didn’t realize that this is #7 in a series of 8 novels revolving around two New Orleans detectives, Ruben Montoya and his partner Rick Bentz. They’ve been solving crime together for many years in previous novels, none of which I intend to read but wish I had. I will go on to the latest one however, book #8 Never Die Alone, as there are two unresolved issues left hanging in this one. I liked the characters so much I want to know what happens to them. Just not anytime soon. I need a break for now.
October 4, 2019
Dark, very very dark. Goosebumps dark! Wow. New author for me and one that I will likely go back and read the series from the beginning. Yes, that’s how good this was or maybe I should say how evil it was.
I didn’t figure out who dun it but that just made it all the better. An unusual setting for a serial killer which made the story that much more interesting and the very tricky author tossed in a bit of slight of hand by muddying the waters with… nope, can’t say because I cannot give the end away.
I look for certain things in a book for it to be well written. Characters that are well developed so I can picture them in my mind and a storyline that I’ve not read over and over again. It’s a plus when I can actually feel the atmosphere of the book. This book had everything I look for and the added unusual location. This was a really good murder mystery.
I enjoyed this book so much that I can honestly recommend it.
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway.
I didn’t figure out who dun it but that just made it all the better. An unusual setting for a serial killer which made the story that much more interesting and the very tricky author tossed in a bit of slight of hand by muddying the waters with… nope, can’t say because I cannot give the end away.
I look for certain things in a book for it to be well written. Characters that are well developed so I can picture them in my mind and a storyline that I’ve not read over and over again. It’s a plus when I can actually feel the atmosphere of the book. This book had everything I look for and the added unusual location. This was a really good murder mystery.
I enjoyed this book so much that I can honestly recommend it.
I won this book in a First Reads giveaway.
February 6, 2020
One of best I've read in. long time
This one was a powerhouse of a novel so much going on and happening to keep you off track. I thought I had it figured out but was way off base and was super surprised when we find out who did it. I don't think I will look around and priests the same again! Lisa Jackson creates a story and characters that drag you into the story and make readers only want more.
This one was a powerhouse of a novel so much going on and happening to keep you off track. I thought I had it figured out but was way off base and was super surprised when we find out who did it. I don't think I will look around and priests the same again! Lisa Jackson creates a story and characters that drag you into the story and make readers only want more.
April 4, 2022
Another great book, still unanswered questions from book one, but I am sure we will get there. I was hoping that this one was not going to have anything to do with priest and nuns but I disappointed with that. The story was still good, and it still had me guessing so it is ok. Will finally be reading the last book.
May 21, 2022
I’m honestly upset that I couldn’t even finish this book. I got to maybe page 70 before I had to put it down and accept the fact that I couldn’t read anymore! This is the second book I’ve tried reading from Lisa Jackson. The writing style just isn’t for me. There was so many plot holes and I found myself going back to previous pages so many times to remind myself what was going on.
April 20, 2011
Blurb: Detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya return in Devious. The crime scene at St. Marguerite's cathedral in New Orleans is shocking. A novice nun has been found dressed in a yellowed bridal gown and viciously garroted, her body covered with an alter cloth.
For Montoya, the brutal crime scene is disturbingly familiar -- his aunt, also a nun, was murdered. And the connections don't end there. Montoya knew this victim in high school. But the deeper the investigation goes, the more twisted the case becomes. St. Marguerite's is far from the tranquil retreat many believe, and everyone, from handsome Father Frank O'Toole to the mysterious Mother Superior, has their own agenda...
What Stephanie Thought: Being a Lisa Jackson fan, I was more than happy to get to review her newest Bentz and Montoya novel. True, I haven't read the first seven (or eight? She has so many books, it's hard to keep count) books in the series, but like most good books should, Devious makes a fine stand-alone novel. Actually, it's better than a fine stand-alone novel; it's the kind of sequel that makes me want to go back and read all the previous titles too.
Camille Renard is your typical party girl: gorgeous, smart, a little deceptive...okay, make that a lot deceptive. Notorious for getting around and stealing husbands (specifically, her sister, Val's), it's to everyone's shock that she decides to enter a convent and become a nun. But this is not her story. Devious is not Camille's story, because she is brutally murdered within the first chapter -- ironically, right in the church.
No one else is more devastated than her sister, Valerie Renard. Though the two have been on edge with each other for the past few months (I mean, that is what will happen if you try to sleep with your sister's husband), Val's ready to forgive and forget -- after all, her divorce with Slade is now nearly final. But of course, that can't happen now, because well, Camille's dead. Beautiful, vivacious, rambunctious Camille is dead.
Which is the perfect time for Val's soon-to-be-ex to show up at her doorstep, right? Slade Houston is in New Orleans, hotter and feistier than ever, and Val's not sure she can handle his company. But it turns out, she just might not be completely over him...and him over her, for that matter.
The story gets weirder, though. One of the detectives assigned to the murder case, Reuben Montoya, happens to be Camille's high school boyfriend; her first, in fact. It's probably not best for him to deal with the issue since it's so personal, but he can't help but desire to solve this deranged murder mystery.
Even worse? An autopsy reveals Camille was pregnant -- and suspicions arise that Father Frank O'Toole, the charming but suspect priest at St. Marguerite's, is the dead baby's father.
The case gets more and more screwed up as the book goes on, to the point where some things are utterly shocking -- others, entirely inconceivable.
Lisa Jackson never fails with the suspense. I didn't have to sift through Devious, wondering when I'd be finished with it, at all; the pages seemed to turn themselves. Even better, romance (read: steamy love scenes!) is incorporated into the story's cutting tension, making it all the better, and entertaining, of a read.
No question goes unanswered in Devious, which says a lot, because it begins raw, millions of questions sprouting out to know what's going on at St. Marguerite's. I enjoyed the relationship developments, specifically the romances, between the various characters: Camille and Reuben; Reuben and his wife, Abby; Camille and Father Frank; Camille and her murderer; Val and Slade; and other minor relationships throughout.
Though Jackson's writing is easy to follow and well-written, it isn't without flaw. Her similes are painfully cliché ("Outside, it was as dark as night") and her details, annoyingly repetitive. Maybe she was just trying to give reader cues throughout the novel to keep confusion to a minimum, but I feel there were too many scenes that were repeated unnecessarily. Her ideas however, are completely genius. The plot she comes up with gets better and better by the sentence, and the story she creates is one not any reader will be able to predict or even possibly imagine.
Devious will thrill your senses, and keep your eyes wide and spine tingling throughout the night. It will make you tremble in fear at times, but also keep you eagerly reading on, awaiting the fate of the murder case, as well as the vindication of Camille Renard.
Stephanie Loves: "'Hey, boy,' Val said, her heart melting as she squatted down to pet the dog's sleek head and receive exuberant licks on her face and hands. 'Yeah, I missed you, too.' The hound couldn't get close enough to her, and for a second she remembered bringing him home from the pound, a small black and tan puppy with bright eyes and ears that nearly hung to the ground.
'And me? You miss me, too?' Slade asked as he slammed the truck's door shut ...
'You're kidding, right? Miss you?' She almost laughed, except nothing about their meeting was funny. 'Like I miss the plague.'"
Where Stephanie Got It: Kim at SOS Aloha for review.
Radical Rating: 9 hearts- One of my all-time favorites!
For Montoya, the brutal crime scene is disturbingly familiar -- his aunt, also a nun, was murdered. And the connections don't end there. Montoya knew this victim in high school. But the deeper the investigation goes, the more twisted the case becomes. St. Marguerite's is far from the tranquil retreat many believe, and everyone, from handsome Father Frank O'Toole to the mysterious Mother Superior, has their own agenda...
What Stephanie Thought: Being a Lisa Jackson fan, I was more than happy to get to review her newest Bentz and Montoya novel. True, I haven't read the first seven (or eight? She has so many books, it's hard to keep count) books in the series, but like most good books should, Devious makes a fine stand-alone novel. Actually, it's better than a fine stand-alone novel; it's the kind of sequel that makes me want to go back and read all the previous titles too.
Camille Renard is your typical party girl: gorgeous, smart, a little deceptive...okay, make that a lot deceptive. Notorious for getting around and stealing husbands (specifically, her sister, Val's), it's to everyone's shock that she decides to enter a convent and become a nun. But this is not her story. Devious is not Camille's story, because she is brutally murdered within the first chapter -- ironically, right in the church.
No one else is more devastated than her sister, Valerie Renard. Though the two have been on edge with each other for the past few months (I mean, that is what will happen if you try to sleep with your sister's husband), Val's ready to forgive and forget -- after all, her divorce with Slade is now nearly final. But of course, that can't happen now, because well, Camille's dead. Beautiful, vivacious, rambunctious Camille is dead.
Which is the perfect time for Val's soon-to-be-ex to show up at her doorstep, right? Slade Houston is in New Orleans, hotter and feistier than ever, and Val's not sure she can handle his company. But it turns out, she just might not be completely over him...and him over her, for that matter.
The story gets weirder, though. One of the detectives assigned to the murder case, Reuben Montoya, happens to be Camille's high school boyfriend; her first, in fact. It's probably not best for him to deal with the issue since it's so personal, but he can't help but desire to solve this deranged murder mystery.
Even worse? An autopsy reveals Camille was pregnant -- and suspicions arise that Father Frank O'Toole, the charming but suspect priest at St. Marguerite's, is the dead baby's father.
The case gets more and more screwed up as the book goes on, to the point where some things are utterly shocking -- others, entirely inconceivable.
Lisa Jackson never fails with the suspense. I didn't have to sift through Devious, wondering when I'd be finished with it, at all; the pages seemed to turn themselves. Even better, romance (read: steamy love scenes!) is incorporated into the story's cutting tension, making it all the better, and entertaining, of a read.
No question goes unanswered in Devious, which says a lot, because it begins raw, millions of questions sprouting out to know what's going on at St. Marguerite's. I enjoyed the relationship developments, specifically the romances, between the various characters: Camille and Reuben; Reuben and his wife, Abby; Camille and Father Frank; Camille and her murderer; Val and Slade; and other minor relationships throughout.
Though Jackson's writing is easy to follow and well-written, it isn't without flaw. Her similes are painfully cliché ("Outside, it was as dark as night") and her details, annoyingly repetitive. Maybe she was just trying to give reader cues throughout the novel to keep confusion to a minimum, but I feel there were too many scenes that were repeated unnecessarily. Her ideas however, are completely genius. The plot she comes up with gets better and better by the sentence, and the story she creates is one not any reader will be able to predict or even possibly imagine.
Devious will thrill your senses, and keep your eyes wide and spine tingling throughout the night. It will make you tremble in fear at times, but also keep you eagerly reading on, awaiting the fate of the murder case, as well as the vindication of Camille Renard.
Stephanie Loves: "'Hey, boy,' Val said, her heart melting as she squatted down to pet the dog's sleek head and receive exuberant licks on her face and hands. 'Yeah, I missed you, too.' The hound couldn't get close enough to her, and for a second she remembered bringing him home from the pound, a small black and tan puppy with bright eyes and ears that nearly hung to the ground.
'And me? You miss me, too?' Slade asked as he slammed the truck's door shut ...
'You're kidding, right? Miss you?' She almost laughed, except nothing about their meeting was funny. 'Like I miss the plague.'"
Where Stephanie Got It: Kim at SOS Aloha for review.
Radical Rating: 9 hearts- One of my all-time favorites!
July 19, 2024
Indian Harbor Book read. Too many holes in plot.
August 1, 2021
3.5 stars
May 31, 2017
After a Catholic nun is murdered in her convent, the New Orleans Police Department first suspects a priest and then fear that a serial killer who impersonates a priest is back in the city. The investigation uncovers a slew of secrets at the convent and it appears that no one is safe. A good read.
July 19, 2015
I read this in a day. Again, Lisa Jackson smothers her books in this series with Catholics, priests who have sex or kill, and this time, a bunch of nuns who have secrets like being lovers of a hot priest, not being religious, being religious enough to murder, or being knocked up. New Orleans detectives Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya- Catholics of course, are both married to younger women who wanted to start breeding so both have babies under 8 months old. The wives grumble about the men not being home with the babies as if they didn't understand that the men are devoted to their jobs and can't sit around the house.
Our story here starts with one young nun Camille being found murdered in a wedding dress at the altar and strangled to death with a rosary. As it turns out, she has been a slut all of her life and had even tried to seduce her sister Valerie's ranch-owning husband Slade Houston from Texas. Lisa apparently likes to name characters like they are in some romance series about cowboys. Valerie had run her sister off when she caught her trying to seduce her husband but mistakenly thought they were lovers, left her husband, filed for divorce, returned from Texas to New Orleans and bought a bed and breakfast inn in the Garden District with a friend of hers named Freya.
On the night that Sister Camille is killed, another nun wakes up thinking she hears a devil hissing at her and guiding her to where the body is. Lisa Jackson loves writing in characters who are psychic or receive whispering messages. She finds the body. She is sent to wake the 2 priests and calls the police first then runs into the hot sexy priest Camille had been fucking (and not the only one) who says her death is his fault. On this same night, Camille's brother-in-law Slade shows up in New Orleans with his and Valerie's lab and has made a reservation to stay at his wife Valerie's bed and breakfast.
Enter our detectives and Montoya is horrified that the dead nun is someone he had sex with himself and he knows one of the priests and some nuns from Catholic school. There is a lot of confusion, threats, hidden secrets, more deaths, and so much action I couldn't find a place to stop so just read the whole thing. It was a good read.
Our story here starts with one young nun Camille being found murdered in a wedding dress at the altar and strangled to death with a rosary. As it turns out, she has been a slut all of her life and had even tried to seduce her sister Valerie's ranch-owning husband Slade Houston from Texas. Lisa apparently likes to name characters like they are in some romance series about cowboys. Valerie had run her sister off when she caught her trying to seduce her husband but mistakenly thought they were lovers, left her husband, filed for divorce, returned from Texas to New Orleans and bought a bed and breakfast inn in the Garden District with a friend of hers named Freya.
On the night that Sister Camille is killed, another nun wakes up thinking she hears a devil hissing at her and guiding her to where the body is. Lisa Jackson loves writing in characters who are psychic or receive whispering messages. She finds the body. She is sent to wake the 2 priests and calls the police first then runs into the hot sexy priest Camille had been fucking (and not the only one) who says her death is his fault. On this same night, Camille's brother-in-law Slade shows up in New Orleans with his and Valerie's lab and has made a reservation to stay at his wife Valerie's bed and breakfast.
Enter our detectives and Montoya is horrified that the dead nun is someone he had sex with himself and he knows one of the priests and some nuns from Catholic school. There is a lot of confusion, threats, hidden secrets, more deaths, and so much action I couldn't find a place to stop so just read the whole thing. It was a good read.
April 12, 2011
This was the first book by Lisa Jackson I have read. As a mystery/suspense lover I will be reading more of her books in the future. But I was not totally happy with this one. It was very well-written and the story was engaging and made me want to find out who did it. But I didnt really think we got all the answers in the end.
I really liked the Detectives assigned to the case, and I am looking forward to going back and reading more of the books they are in. I love the New Orleans setting. It really is such a great city for a backdrop.
Val and Slade made a great pair. We got plenty of info on their background and relationship and got to watch them in part work though their issues. Although the resolution of their problems did seem a bit rushed and just ok, its over now, lets forget it ever happened type of resolution.
But I didn't feel like we really got to understand the motives behind the Mother Superior and Fr. O'Toole. They have secrets and I don't think we really get to find out what they are. Same thing with the novices. There is such a connection there that can really make another intriguing story. But in this one, assuming we never see these characters again. I'm pretty disappointed. I want to know more of what they are hiding and why, And why did these novices join the convent, they all seem to have a great history behind them before they came. What made them join. Same with the murdered victim, Camille. We know she developed a crush on Slade but that doesnt fully explain why she joined the convent or why she had such a secretive hidden life.
Overall though its a great mystery. And it does get wrapped up in the end. All the main points are covered and explained. I guess I just wanted to know more about the secrets hidden inside the walls. I will definitely be reading more of her books. And will recommend her to others who like this genre. Just maybe not this one first.
I really liked the Detectives assigned to the case, and I am looking forward to going back and reading more of the books they are in. I love the New Orleans setting. It really is such a great city for a backdrop.
Val and Slade made a great pair. We got plenty of info on their background and relationship and got to watch them in part work though their issues. Although the resolution of their problems did seem a bit rushed and just ok, its over now, lets forget it ever happened type of resolution.
But I didn't feel like we really got to understand the motives behind the Mother Superior and Fr. O'Toole. They have secrets and I don't think we really get to find out what they are. Same thing with the novices. There is such a connection there that can really make another intriguing story. But in this one, assuming we never see these characters again. I'm pretty disappointed. I want to know more of what they are hiding and why, And why did these novices join the convent, they all seem to have a great history behind them before they came. What made them join. Same with the murdered victim, Camille. We know she developed a crush on Slade but that doesnt fully explain why she joined the convent or why she had such a secretive hidden life.
Overall though its a great mystery. And it does get wrapped up in the end. All the main points are covered and explained. I guess I just wanted to know more about the secrets hidden inside the walls. I will definitely be reading more of her books. And will recommend her to others who like this genre. Just maybe not this one first.
July 5, 2012
New Orleans has always been a place where anything seems possible, but no one expected to find nuns dead in a chapel. It seems someone has a grudge. Rick Bentz and his partner Reuben Montoya are called to St. Marguerite's church and the site of the first murder. Unfortunately, Montoya knows the deceased and several others at St. Marguerite's. He should let someone else work the case, but this is personal. These people were from his past. The investigation starts off rough and just gets rougher. Nothing is as it seems at St. Marguerite's. The first body is Sister Camille, an ex party girl getting ready to take her final vows, or was she? Soon a pattern become evident and working on every lead they get, Bentz and Montoya do their best to figure out this mystery before the killer strikes again.
This book is FILLED with characters. I'd be so bold as to say they could have their own who-dun-it dinner party. The story is solid and intricate. That being said, let me move on to the issues I found.
I did find issues. The book is long winded and full of unnecessary things. This one is 527 pages. You read it right...527. Out of that, Lisa Jackson could have cut about 200 pages at least and had a better book. There are at least 5 stories being told in this one book and I believe it takes away from the basic story of nuns being murdered. It also drags in places.
I gave this one 3 out of 5 books because it just simply wasn't bestseller quality
This book is FILLED with characters. I'd be so bold as to say they could have their own who-dun-it dinner party. The story is solid and intricate. That being said, let me move on to the issues I found.
I did find issues. The book is long winded and full of unnecessary things. This one is 527 pages. You read it right...527. Out of that, Lisa Jackson could have cut about 200 pages at least and had a better book. There are at least 5 stories being told in this one book and I believe it takes away from the basic story of nuns being murdered. It also drags in places.
I gave this one 3 out of 5 books because it just simply wasn't bestseller quality
March 5, 2018
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
When New Orleans detective Reuben Montoya is called to investigate a murder with his partner Rick Bentz, he's shocked to recognize the victim. Camille Renard, an old high-school friend, was found on the altar of St. Marguerite's cathedral, dressed in a yellowed bridal gown and viciously garroted...
Valerie Houston's younger sister, Camille, had a knack for making bad choices. She left Texas after falling for Val's soon-to-be ex-husband, Slade. But as Val digs deeper into Camille's death, she realizes how little she really knows about her sister and their shared past.
Soon more bodies are found brutally slaughtered. No one is beyond suspicion. No one is safe--least of all Valerie, whose connection to a twisted case is closer, and more dangerous, than she ever could have imagined. For this killer knows all, forgives nothing, and will not rest until Valerie becomes the next to pay for her sins...
Another Bentz and Montoya novel, and I think I am done with this series.
The problem is that, while it isn't a badly written book, it is just a carbon copy of all the other books in the series. They all feel like they have been altered enough to seem like an original story but the underlying plot is still the same.
I really can't think of anything more to say, really. It is a run-of-the-mill romantic suspense novel. I just expect more than that now.
Paul
ARH
When New Orleans detective Reuben Montoya is called to investigate a murder with his partner Rick Bentz, he's shocked to recognize the victim. Camille Renard, an old high-school friend, was found on the altar of St. Marguerite's cathedral, dressed in a yellowed bridal gown and viciously garroted...
Valerie Houston's younger sister, Camille, had a knack for making bad choices. She left Texas after falling for Val's soon-to-be ex-husband, Slade. But as Val digs deeper into Camille's death, she realizes how little she really knows about her sister and their shared past.
Soon more bodies are found brutally slaughtered. No one is beyond suspicion. No one is safe--least of all Valerie, whose connection to a twisted case is closer, and more dangerous, than she ever could have imagined. For this killer knows all, forgives nothing, and will not rest until Valerie becomes the next to pay for her sins...
Another Bentz and Montoya novel, and I think I am done with this series.
The problem is that, while it isn't a badly written book, it is just a carbon copy of all the other books in the series. They all feel like they have been altered enough to seem like an original story but the underlying plot is still the same.
I really can't think of anything more to say, really. It is a run-of-the-mill romantic suspense novel. I just expect more than that now.
Paul
ARH
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